Do not read this review if you do not want to hear spoilers for the new 2024 Joker 2: Joker folie à deux.
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Spoiler Warning: This review contains major spoilers and personal reflections on Joker: Folie à Deux.
We went to see Joker: Folie à Deux on opening night in a sold-out, packed theater. Chaos ruled the experience from the start, with children as young as five or six running up and down the stairs during the film—a strange sight, considering the dark themes. The atmosphere was as wild as the movie itself. Leaving the theater, we encountered chaos on the roads too. People walked in pitch black, dressed in dark clothing, and we almost ran them over. Just a mile later, we came across what looked like the ending scene of the film—multiple car crashes, scrap metal, broken glass, and ambulances. The film’s chaotic energy seemed to spill into the real world.
The movie itself builds on Arthur Fleck’s tragic descent, humanizing him further. I found his confession to abandon the Joker persona heartbreaking and relatable. I’ve always been drawn to villains who aren’t purely evil, and Arthur’s struggle with his identity and mental illness only deepened this feeling. The blurred line between fantasy and reality is a recurring theme, keeping us questioning what’s real, from Arthur’s fantasies about killing the judge and jury to whether Harley Quinn herself is real or another of his delusions.
Speaking of Harley, her portrayal was fascinating, with the film leaving us unsure whether she was manipulating Arthur or sharing in his chaos. Her possible pregnancy added another layer of mystery. Was it real, or just part of Arthur’s imagination, much like the fabricated relationship he had in the first film? This ambiguity made her role compelling, even though her motives remained unclear.
The musical aspect of the film, while anticipated, didn’t resonate with me, though I can see how it added to the surreal, dreamlike quality. I also found Harvey Dent’s casting disappointing—he wasn’t handsome enough for the role, in my opinion.
The movie’s most significant shift comes at the end when a new Joker is introduced, representing the chaotic villain fans are more familiar with. Arthur’s tragic arc comes to a close, making way for a more classic Joker who embraces madness with maniacal glee cutting the corners of his lips into a permanent smile. The film masterfully transitions from a humanized Joker to one that represents pure anarchy, satisfying both those who enjoyed the more nuanced portrayal and fans eager for the traditional chaos.
One of the most fascinating and heartbreaking plot threads from the original Joker film was the possibility that Thomas Wayne might be Arthur’s father, making Bruce Wayne and Arthur half-brothers. This idea had so much potential for rich storytelling, offering an emotional connection between the hero and villain that went beyond their usual roles. It could have explored how family, privilege, and circumstance shape two lives that diverged so drastically—one loved and guided into heroism, the other neglected, abused, and driven to madness and villainy.
Had this storyline continued, it might have created a dynamic where Bruce, as Batman, eventually discovers that his greatest enemy, the Joker, is not just a product of Gotham’s societal failures, but also his own half-brother. The emotional complexity of that revelation could have been profound. Imagine Bruce coming to terms with the fact that, under different circumstances, he could have easily become Arthur, or that perhaps Arthur, with the same support and guidance Bruce received, could have been saved. Their shared bloodline, and the way one became a symbol of hope while the other embodied chaos, would have offered endless narrative possibilities.
The abandonment of this plot point in Folie à Deux feels like a missed opportunity, especially now that Arthur has passed the Joker torch to a new figure. With Arthur’s exit, the idea that he could have been Bruce’s brother becomes irrelevant and is left unresolved, which is disappointing for those of us who saw the potential in exploring that connection. It would have added a tragic irony to their lifelong battle, underscoring the themes of identity, fate, and how much of who we are is shaped by the families we’re born into versus the circumstances we endure.
Overall, Folie à Deux is an intense, thought-provoking film that combines tragedy, blurred reality, and the Joker’s inevitable return to chaos, both on-screen and, oddly enough, in our own post-theater experience.
